Quote:
It's not really about opinions, it's about facts.
Yup, medicated feed is about cocci, not Marek's. There is no such thing as feed medicated against Marek's.
Even if they were vaccinated against cocci, which only one or two hatcheries do that I know of, it is still not against all strains of cocci.
There is no relationship between being vaccinated against Marek's, and feed medicated for cocci.
On top of that, they can still get cocci or Marek's despite vaccination, as there are several strains of both, and vaccination only prevents some of those strains. Not saying don't vaccinate, only realize that it is not a total preventative.
Personally, I would not use anything but chick feed that is medicated with amprolium. It helps them build an immunity to cocci. It works by inhibiting growth of cocci, so the chicks can build immunity, while not being overwhelmed by one's native cocci. It does this by interfering with thiamine. It is not an antibiotic. Not everyone agrees with this, of course. And it is still not a guarantee that you won't have an outbreak of cocci. Cocci have been a real problem in some areas, and you will still have to be on the lookout. I have no idea how helpful the cocci vaccine is. It is new.
Some medicated feed is medicated with an antibiotic, and I will not buy those. My TSC sells only unmedicated feed (which I won't buy for other reasons) and has a sign over the feed bags saying something like, don't forget the Duramycin. Uh, sorry, no thanks. They want me to buy chick feed without amprolium, and add an antibiotic. I go there to buy grit and oyster shell and pine shavings, as they are not available in my local feed store, but I rely on BYC to help me choose what my chickens need.
You just have to learn the terms and additives.
JMHO, of course.
It's not really about opinions, it's about facts.
Yup, medicated feed is about cocci, not Marek's. There is no such thing as feed medicated against Marek's.
Even if they were vaccinated against cocci, which only one or two hatcheries do that I know of, it is still not against all strains of cocci.
There is no relationship between being vaccinated against Marek's, and feed medicated for cocci.
On top of that, they can still get cocci or Marek's despite vaccination, as there are several strains of both, and vaccination only prevents some of those strains. Not saying don't vaccinate, only realize that it is not a total preventative.
Personally, I would not use anything but chick feed that is medicated with amprolium. It helps them build an immunity to cocci. It works by inhibiting growth of cocci, so the chicks can build immunity, while not being overwhelmed by one's native cocci. It does this by interfering with thiamine. It is not an antibiotic. Not everyone agrees with this, of course. And it is still not a guarantee that you won't have an outbreak of cocci. Cocci have been a real problem in some areas, and you will still have to be on the lookout. I have no idea how helpful the cocci vaccine is. It is new.
Some medicated feed is medicated with an antibiotic, and I will not buy those. My TSC sells only unmedicated feed (which I won't buy for other reasons) and has a sign over the feed bags saying something like, don't forget the Duramycin. Uh, sorry, no thanks. They want me to buy chick feed without amprolium, and add an antibiotic. I go there to buy grit and oyster shell and pine shavings, as they are not available in my local feed store, but I rely on BYC to help me choose what my chickens need.
You just have to learn the terms and additives.
JMHO, of course.
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